1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains primarily to a braking system for use with in-line skates, but which can also be used effectively with roller skates, skate boards, possibly roller skis, and other similar foot-mounted wheeled vehicles in which both hands can be freed up for applying the brake.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is estimated by an in-line skate club that there are in excess of 10 million users of in-line skates. The number grows dramatically every year as does the number of scrapes, bruises, and broken bones caused by falls resulting from ineffective braking systems and techniques. Until the present time, all attempts at stopping have been focused on effecting speed reduction and stopping with devices attached to the wheeled vehicles in various fashions. The skateboard with its tail drag, the roller skate with its toe brake, the roller ski with its truncated cone, and the in-line skate with its variations of the toe and heel brake all attempt to address speed and braking with physical attachments to the vehicle.
While all of these attached devices utilize ground surface contact to induce friction for slowing the stopping, there are at least two general problems with this approach. The first is the fact that the lower body of the user tends to slow more quickly than the upper body because the friction in the area of the feet doesn't simultaneously slow the upper body. The result is a tendency to pitch forward. The greater the speed, the greater the risk of pitching forward. Secondly, most of the inventions and techniques in use today are somewhat awkward and require considerable practice to develop the necessary skill to use them effectively. A third problem more particular to the in-line skate stems from the extremely high speeds of up to 30 m.p.h. that can be reached. The result is the need for a much longer stopping distance and much greater instability when attempting to apply the vehicle-attached systems.
Johnson's skateboard, U.S. Pat. No. 4,168,076, with its tail drag requires considerable balancing ability because the front wheels might be raised off the ground in order to engage the ground surface with the tail drag. The vehicle is much less stable with only two wheels on the ground and the dragging tail could cause an upset by hitting uneven surfaces, rocks, etc. The risk of pitching forward is acute at the point of engagement. The roller ski does not achieve the high speed of the in-line skates and experienced cross-country skiers are generally skilled in the "snow-plow" maneuver. However, there is still a tendency to pitch forward with Jennings' roller ski braking system U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,332 due to the friction generated as the truncated cone engages the ground. The toe brake such as Lander's toe-mounted rotatable cylinder U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,438 and similar toe-mounted friction devices on the roller skate and the in-line skate both require the user to balance on one leg while extending the other leg rearward. This technique requires considerable practice and balance, and results in much less stability since the entire weight of the body must be centered properly on one foot in order to prevent falling. Even the T-stop technique used with the in-line skate requires a one-legged glide with the other leg extended rearward and dragging on the ground surface. Both of the aforementioned braking methods also entail the risk of pitch forward.
The heel brake used almost exclusively with the in-line skate is one of the most awkward and dangerous of all. With the heel brake by Roberts, U.S. Pat. No. 5,197,572, and others, the user must shift the weight to one foot, thrust one foot forward, and glide on the opposite foot all while engaging the ground with the rubber pad of the braking foot. Thrusting the foot forward is unnatural and awkward balance is very tricky and the risk of falling forward is greater the higher the speed is. At high speeds and on steep grades, the heel brake stops neither quickly nor safely if at all.
In addition to the above shortfalls, none of the Prior Art embodies a form that can be used with all foot-mounted wheeled vehicles in which the hands are free.